A Crystal Bloom
by Kyoko Miya
Summary: If you can't stand sorrow from a person trying to save the person they care about, then please don't read this...I was crying when I made this because I was making such a sad story that had to do with my character and Ryou... I still cry when I read it.


**A Crystal Bloom**

A letter laid open on the bed and the door left open as a slender, fiery red haired girl ran down the corridor to the top of the blimp.

Tears slightly seeped from the corners of her lavender-gray eyes as she remembered what the letter said.

_'Dear Kitsune,_

_I'm going to fight with Marik, please don't try to stop us... I'm trying to keep him at bay while I'm writing this to you. Please, Kitsy... Don't come up to the arena, it's for your own good. I know that you think I should stay in bed, but I can't let Marik hurt anyone else... So don't try to stop us and warn your cousin, Yugi, and the others if you can. If I've gone missing after you've read this letter, it's because I lost the duel with Marik... This letter I've wrote to you is to keep you safe, and to tell you that I care. Live life with or without me, it doesn't matter, but stay alive as long as you can._

_Sincerely,_

_Ryou Bakura'_

The Millennium Earring that hung upon her right ear swung from side to side as she sprinted towards the stairway.

_'I can't let him do this! He thinks that I'll just stay here and not try to stop him from sacrificing himself?! Hang on, Ryou! I'm coming...'_

Up on the arena, the duel raged on within the dark bubble, signaling a classic shadow game was at play.

Kitsune quickly ran up the stairs, three at a time, to stop the duel. But when she arrived, the duel was finished and the bubble vanished.

_'No... I... I'm too late...'_ She began to cry as she quickly fell to her knees and held Ryou close to her while his body began to slowly disappear.

"Please... Don't leave me, Ryou..." As one of her hot tears hit Ryou's cheek, Marik cackled at her failed attempt to awaken him.

"He can't hear you anymore, girl! Bakura lost the duel and now they both walk in the Shadow Realm for all eternity!!!" Kitsune glared at him, gently placed Ryou's body back on the floor and stood up.

"I may not be able to get through to him, Marik... But what I can do is a fair trade with you, my soul for his! Besides... You can't refuse adding a new Millennium Item to your collection, now can you?" She then moved her fiery red hair out of the way, revealing the Millennium Earring hanging from her right ear.

"If you want this, then you'll have to let Ryou and Bakura go..." Marik stared at her, Kitsune's courage completely shocking him and it also reached Malik from within his body, which made sure he didn't try to send them both to the Shadow Realm.

"Why would you trade your soul for his?!" Another tear went down her cheek, hitting the floor after it fell from her cheek.

"Because he was the first person in a long time, who wasn't related to me, that didn't care that I was an outcast like everyone said... And I rather see him live then stay alone with his motionless body or nothing of him at all." Kitsune then looked at him straight in the eyes, her lavender-gray now just gray.

"Let me take his place and you can have my item... I told you I rather see him live and that's because I..." More tears seeped out of her eyes and she then looked down at the ground.

Marik still stared at her then sighed.

"Fine... I'll take your offer, but your going to take his place, got that?" She nodded, now facing him and awaiting to take Ryou's place among the shadows.

Soon, Marik pointed the Millennium Rod at her and it glowed as it sent her mind to the Shadow Realm, leaving her body to fall back towards the ground.

As Kitsune's form hit the ground, Ryou and Bakura began to come back to their respective body, which was now back to normal, and Millennium Ring.

Ryou began to open his eyes as Marik was relieving the motionless Kitsune of her Millennium Earring.

"K... Kitsy?" He then placed his hand upon her cheek; her tears still running down her skin from her lavender-gray eyes that were now closed.

_'I thought Kitsy would've listened to my letter and stayed away from the duel... I guess she didn't. But... But why is she unconscious? I was the one who lost the duel, not her...'_ Marik's evil laughter was then heard and grabbed Ryou's attention away from the unconscious Kitsune.

"That girl's very brave to make a deal with me, Ryou. She didn't even care about being sent to the Shadow Realm so she traded her soul for yours... So now, her soul wanders the shadows for all eternity!" Ryou glared at him as he picked up the lifeless shell that was once the home to Kitsune's soul.

"Why? Why did you agree to her terms when it was just between you and me, Marik?!" Marik stopped, turned around and looked at Ryou.

"I really don't know why… Maybe because she really surprised me by her courage... But either way, you or her, I would have gotten an item out of the deal." Ryou looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" Marik then showed him the Millennium Earring that once hung from Kitsune's right ear.

"Didn't she tell you that she was the keeper of the Millennium Earring? I guess she didn't want you to find out!" He then laughed as he walked away from them, leaving Ryou with the soulless Kitsune in his arms.

With that, he carried her inside, placed Kitsune in the infirmary and ran down the hall to tell everyone about what happened.

Their reaction was shock and hatred mixed together as they entered the small room that protected Kitsune's body from any more harm. The others left the room, but Ryou stayed and looked at her for a while longer.

_'I'll do all I can to bring you back, Kitsy... I promise you that much since you did this for me.'_ He then left the room, closing the door behind him and the room fell silent with the exception of the contraption that made a beep every second to tell that anyone that her body was still alive and awaiting her soul to return.


End file.
